MEDIA TRANSFORMATION OF ALTERNATE UNIVERS (AU) USING K-POP ARTISTS’ VISUAL CLAIMS INTO NOVEL FORM - Paper

Aug 25, 2026

Uploaded by Angel

Alternate Universe (AU) is a popular fiction style shared on social media, where plots are assembled through chat-like images and visual claims using K-Pop idols rather than conventional narrative. The practice attracts young K-Pop fans and often takes the form of light fanfiction, yet debate continues over whether AU qualifies as fiction because it may lack conflict-driven narrative structure found in novels. Using virtual ethnography with seven AU writers, the study analyzes how story-media is transformed into novel fiction, identifying key obstacles. Findings show storyline and conflict development changes are frequent, and some AU visuals remain difficult to shift into prose, requiring substantial scene replacement.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages10

Reading Time25 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Fanfiction Phenomenon in Indonesia

Research Method

Virtual Ethnographic Interviews

AU to Novel Transformation Process

Obstacles in Narrative Construction

Findings and Discussion

Conflict Development and Scene Replacement

MEDIA TRANSFORMATION OF ALTERNATE UNIVERS (AU) USING K-POP ARTISTS’VISUAL CLAIMS INTO NOVEL FORM Aprilia Kristiana Tri Wahyuni 1 Universitas Atma Jaya Yogyakarta 1,2 [aprilia.kristiana@uajy.ac.id](aprilia.kristiana@uajy.ac.id1)[1](aprilia.kristiana@uajy.ac.id1) Woro Wiratsih2 Received: December, 2024 Revised: January, 2025 Published: January, 2025 Abstract Alternate Universe (AU) is a form of popular fiction that is much loved by today's young generation. In the AU form found on social media, the storyline is built not with narrative but with pictures containing chats between characters and also photos with visual claims of KPop idols. There is a preference tendency among the younger generation, who are also KPop fans, to read AU in the form of fanfiction which presents light plots and conflicts with visual claims using K-Pop group idols as the characters. However, in its development, a debate emerged that the AU could not be considered a work of fiction because it did not have narratives that build a storyline from the conflict raised like a literature work such as a novel. This research uses a virtual ethnographic method interviewing seven AU writers to find out the processes of transferring media of fictional stories from pictures containing conversations to short messages or uploading stories on social media with visual claims using the faces of K-Pop idols into complete works of fiction in the form of a novel. This data was used to determine the obstacles in creating narratives in novels based on their AU works. Apart from that, direct observations were also carried out by comparing AU works and novels from the author's titles to find out how descriptions were developed into a narrative form and sentence formation in paragraphs in the novel. This research aims to explain the processes of converting AU's work into a complete novel. From the interviews and comparisons between the AU form with the novel form, it was found that there was a change in the storyline, especially in the development of conflict because AU works were felt to be too light and, often, the conflict was not strong enough to form a work of fiction in the form of a novel. Apart from that, there are also several novels that still include pictures containing typical AU short messages in the novel because the scenes are too difficult to shift into narratives. There were many parts that ended up being replaced and changed to create a complete novel. Keywords: Alternate universe, novel, media transformation AU to novel, narration, visual claim. INTRODUCTION As one of the most influential types of literature, novels have the ability to open eyes, arouse feelings, and make readers think. Novels are not only entertainment, but also an effective tool for spreading messages, fighting injustice, and celebrating the beauty of life. Asa medium that continues to develop, novels provide new innovations and inspiration. However, along with the development of the era with increasingly rapid technology, currently fictional literary works are not only presented through novels. Nowadays, teenagers use social media more than literacy. The majority of teenagers today stare at screens for more than 9 hours every day. We can conclude that, in this case, gadgets are more interesting than books (RNM & Rachmani, 2022) . Currently, there is an increasing trend among the younger generation read Alternate Universe (AU) or fanfiction (Ihsania et al., 2020) . This phenomenon reflects the changing preferences and needs of young readers, as well as a reflection of the increasingly dominant power of popular culture in everyday life. The development of the publishing world is very real where young writers today do not only rely on their writing skills but also their ability to use social media and online writing platforms (Shahrani & Rohmiyati, 2017) . Many novels are adapted from stories uploaded on the Wattpad platform or pieces of conversation that are o

FAQs

What is Alternate Universe (AU) in social media fanfiction?

AU is a popular fiction format built mainly from pictures showing chat exchanges between characters and photos with visual claims of K-Pop idols, rather than traditional narrative text.

Why is there debate about whether AU counts as fiction like a novel?

Critics argue AU may lack narrative conflict development strong enough to form fiction comparable to novels, which typically build storyline through conflicts and sentence-level prose.

How does the research study the process of converting AU into novels?

The study uses virtual ethnographic methods by interviewing seven AU writers and comparing AU works and their corresponding novel forms to observe how descriptions become narrative paragraphs.

Aug 25, 2026

Uploaded by Angel